


How To Catch A Falling Star

by axolotlNerd



Category: Game Grumps, Skyhill (Band), Starbomb (Band)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, New Year's Eve, Power Outage, Reader-Insert, happy new year's
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-31
Updated: 2016-12-31
Packaged: 2018-09-13 18:18:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9135805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/axolotlNerd/pseuds/axolotlNerd
Summary: But then the power went out.





	

“Yeah, it is kinda pathetic, isn’t it? At home and alone on New Year’s Eve.” I said, looking at the blocky television that was on my bureau. On it was some news channel that I couldn’t remember the name of, showing New York crowded with people, singers on stage, and everyone bundled up at least three layers of coats. At this point, I was glad I’d moved away from there. It was always so cold there, crowded with grumpy and unfriendly people. 

Well, L.A. actually wasn’t very different, then. Just warmer. Maybe a little bit friendlier, but I didn’t leave my house enough to know. I did work at home as a computer programmer, working with some indie game company that barely made enough money to pay me. Not like it really mattered anyways, with how little I got paid. It was just the only place that would hire me. 

At least 2017 would be better. 

Yeah, right.

“That’s not pathetic! What is pathetic, though, is the fact that you still live in a broom closet of a hotel.” Ryan, a close friend from New York, said through the phone. We both laughed, even though I felt annoyance prickling at my spine. 

“It’s not a broom closet!” It wasn’t, but it sure felt like it. My bed doubled as my couch, and the bathroom was just a toilet, sink, and shower (with no bathtub) that was barely big enough to fit one person. “At least I don’t still live with my parents.”

“It’s my brother!”

“He’s older than you by 10 years!”

“Whatever!”

We both were thrown into a short laughing fit, ending when my phone rang with a notification. “Shit, I gotta go. My phone’s at 5 percent. Happy New Year, Ry!” I said before hanging up. I threw the phone on top of my bureau with the T.V., not bothering to plug it in. All of a sudden, the small apartment seemed monumentally quieter. I felt even more alone than before now that I could only hear the buzzing of my television and the muted words of reporters.

A burst of laughter came from upstairs, breaking the silence. I smiled, knowing that at least one person was having fun tonight. I had grown fond of the people that lived above me, even though I’d never met them. 

I knew their names, though. Barry was one of them, a shorter man with a beard and a timid voice. The other one I knew was named Dan, a tall and thin man that kind of always looked stoned. I mainly recognised him from his seemingly signature lines of “I’m a pineapple!” and “I’m a sexy widdle baby.” They seemed like nice people, and part of me wanted to talk to them more, but what do you even say?

“Hey, I’m the person that lives below you in a broom closet, I’ve heard you guys from my shitty apartment and deemed you worthy of my friendship. How about it?”

Ha. 

Nope. 

So for now, I’ll just keep listening to them and their friends laughing. 

I glanced over at the wrist watch I had on, decorated with Mickey Mouse. It always made me smile whenever I saw it, though I’m not sure why. I got for my birthday when I was ten, and it wasn’t exactly special. 10:17 it read. 

Right as I read the numbers off, the T.V. flickered out, leaving the whole apartment dark. I groaned, and as I did, it seemed the other people in the apartment complex were annoyed too. Barry and Dan’s place just sounded like everyone there was mostly confused. I sighed and walked out of my apartment to go and check out what was happening. I put on a hoodie, keeping my hands tucked into it’s pockets. 

I didn’t end up going to the front office, though. My feet ended up guiding me to room 305, the one directly above mine. I just stared at the door for a moment, wondering why I even came here. 

And then I knocked. 

I have no clue why, but I knocked on the door. And out came the lion-haired man, looking just as confused as me. He smiled.

“Hey! You’re the girl that lives in 205, right?” He asked, a genuine smile on his face. Every part of me was asking questions. Why did I come here? Why am I knocking on this guy’s door? Why is he smiling at me? 

“Uh… Yeah. I- Uh…” I stuttered, not used to talking to people and making conversation. The only thing I’d really heard as of late was “Cash or credit?”

As soon as I realized I was just standing there like an idiot, I spoke again. “I was just wondering if you knew what’s happening with the electricity?” The question came like a flash of lightning.

“Nope. No clu-” 

“Dan! It’s happened all over the city!” I recognised Barry’s voice from behind him. “Everyone’s power is out.” 

Dan looked at him, confused. “Huh. That’s weird.”

“Oh. Well, sorry to bother you. Thanks anyways.” I started walking away, back down the halls. Some weird sense in me was telling me to turn around and go back, but I refused. I heard the door begin to shut above some hushed muttering. After that, a loud and clumsy sounding clatter sounded out. 

“Oh, you dick!” Dan yelled back at his roommate. There was a long silence, but I didn’t turn around. I’d probably just head back to my apartment and go to bed. 

“Wait!” He called out again. I kept moving, trying my best not to listen to his conversation. I was being creepy with all that listening stuff. I needed to stop. “Wait! Please,” He yelled again. As soon as I heard his clumsy footsteps approaching, I realized he was talking to me. He ran in front of me, making me stop in my tracks.

He didn’t say anything else, just stood there, looking at me. He looked just as confused as I had been when I got to his door. We just sat there looking at eachother for a while.

“Uh… Your name’s (Y/N), right?” He spoke slowly, unsure of himself. I felt a little flattered. 

“Yeah. You’re Dan.” I replied, trying to put confidence into my tone. It was now that I realized that this man was truly attractive. Chiseled jaw, even stubble across it, and wide and curious brown eyes that seemed to glitter with happiness in the dark hallways. He gave a single, impressed chuckled. 

“Yeah. I noticed you moving in around February. I wanted to talk to you, but… I don’t know.” He said. He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck, not really sure what to say. 

“I’ve heard you and your roommate from my apartment, actually.” I took one of my hands out of my pocket, tucking away a strand of red hair that had escaped my ponytail. I probably looked like a mess, but whatever. It’s New Year’s eve. 

Dan looked a little apologetic and nervous at my comment. “Oh, shit. Sorry about that.” 

“No!” I suddenly exclaimed. We were both a little surprised by that. “Don’t be sorry at all. I actually kind of like it. It’s only ever really laughing that I hear, and I live by myself and don’t have friends over. It’s just a nice little part of each day. Y’know?” I said. Dan just looked at me for a moment, no clear expression on his face. “Plus, it’s funny to randomly hear you claim you’re a pineapple late at night. 

At that point, we both started laughing. It wasn’t like it was a riot, but it wasn’t half hearted either. Dan’s laugh was contagious. 

“So, what are you doing for New Year’s?” He asked. 

“Well, I  _ was _ watching T.V., but I think now I’ll have to go for a walk or something.” Dan’s expression changed, looking a little confused. 

“You’re not with your family? Friends?”

“Well, airplane tickets around the holidays were too expensive, and after that, I just kind of thought ‘Whatever’. And I don’t have any friends around here, unless you count the nice old lady at the Starbucks down the street.” Dan looked thoughtful for a moment. 

“Why don’t you hang out with us, then? You won’t be the only girl there, and we’re all fun people.” 

“I think I’ll have to pass. I’d just feel like I was intruding.” Dan seemed to realize quickly what kind of person I was, and he most definitely didn’t want to push me. 

“Well, if you’re going for a walk, could I at least go with you?” I was a little startled at the offer. No one had ever asked me anything like that, not since high school. He opened his mouth to take back his offer, but I spoke first. 

“Actually, I would love that.” Dan’s face lit up. 

“Sweet! Wait right here, I gotta grab a coat.” He ran back to his apartment, and came out what seemed like only seconds later with a black leather jacket. “You ready?” 

“Yup.” I started walking Dan right next to me. 

“So, what do you do for work? You said you don’t have many friends, so it must be an independant job?”

“Yup. I program games.” Dan smiled.

“Funny! I play them.” 

“For a living?” 

“Yeah. YouTube videos.” I laughed. “Don’t laugh! For your information, I’m also a famous rockstar.” 

“Really? What band?”

“Uh…” Dan laughed. “Ninja Sex Party…” I felt my jaw drop. 

“Oh my god!” I said, smiling. “Are you serious? That’s the best band name I’ve heard in  _ years _ !”

“Ha! I once heard of a band called Betty White Tit Fuck!”

I started laughing, having to grab my stomach with how much it hurt. “Jesus H. Christ…” He was laughing almost as hard as me. 

“What does the ‘H’ stand for?” 

I looked at him with the most serious face I could manage. “Hector.” 

And we both started laughing again. 

After we finally regained our composure, we started walking again, going down the stairs. “I honestly don’t think I’ve ever laughed that hard.” I said to myself, part of me glad that Dan didn’t hear.

“You’ve got an adorable laugh.” He said, almost as if it wasn’t the nicest thing anyone had said to me in almost a year. I just fell into step next to him, a small smile on my face. 

“Thank you. Yours is contagious.” 

We kept walking silently until we got to the front lobby, which was packed with people all asking the person at the desk what happened. He looked extremely nervous, and just kept repeating, “I don’t know! I don’t know!” 

I not-so-subtly cleared my throat and yelled out. “Did you hear? They’re saying power’s gone out all over the city!” I looked at Dan with mock surprise on my face, to which he gasped and put his hands on his face. 

“Woah! I wonder what happened?” He said in an equally as mocking tone as I’d used. We both laughed lightly, watching people scatter to go outside. 

“We should probably look, too. It probably looks really creepy.” 

“Oh, God. You have no idea how I react to scary situations.” He laughed. I just pulled him towards the door. 

The entire city was dark. It  _ was _ scary, to see not a single light on, no lit up windows excepting the candles that burned next to them. Not even the traffic lights were on, making people stop driving and look around. The moon hung high in the sky, though it was so thin that it didn’t give off any extra light for us. It wasn’t the moon that had caught my eye, anyways. 

The stars were everywhere. They wrapped around the earth shining brighter than I had ever thought they could. A milky arm reached out across the sky, red showing from it like rust on the old galaxy. My head spun, just looking at it. 

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered, so stunned I didn’t know what else to say. 

Dan just stayed quiet for a long time with me.  

“Hey, what time is it?” He asked after a while. I didn’t know how long it’d been, but it felt like hours. I glaced at him, then my watch. 

“11:45. Fifteen minutes until 2017 begins.” 

“2016, the sequel.”

“Oh God, please, no.” 

We both laughed again, looking back up at the stars.

Soon, as I could begin to feel the New Year start to dawn on us, he spoke again.

“I was wondering something.” He started. I kept looking at the sky, admiring it while I hummed in acknowledgment. “Would you be my New Year’s kiss this year?” I stopped looking at the sky, feeling my face flush with heat. I looked over at him, and he was looking at me with a big smile on his face and a soft look in his eyes.

"Only for the headlines." I said, smiling back. "'Computer Programmer Kisses Famous Rock Star Danny Sexbang.'! How scandalous!" He laughed. I looked back down at my watch, looking at the time tick away.

"Twenty..." People around us started chanting already, all in time with each other.

"Nineteen..." Dan joined in, eyes flickering around observantly.

"Eighteen..." I thought it was stupid, but I joined in, looking at Dan.

"Seventeen..."

"Sixteen..."

"Fifteen..." He turned back to look at me.

"Fourteen..."

"Thirteen..." The chanting got louder.

"Twelve..."

"Eleven..."

"Ten..." He wrapped his arms around me.

"Nine..." He was so observant.

"Eight..." I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"Seven..."  _ Tick _ .

"Six..."  _ Tock _ .

"Five..."  _ Tick _ .

"Four..."  _ Tock _ .

"Three..." He looks nervous.

"Two..." That's silly.

"One..." He leaned in.

"Happy New Year." Dan whispered on my lips, perfectly in sync with everyone else around us. My heart pounded in my chest as he carefully pressed his lips to mine, his hands resting on the small of my back. I moved my arms to rest on his shoulders, trying to find a way to get closer to him, to feel him all around me. 

Eventually, we had to pull away from each other. When we did, I just stared at him, looking into the deep and gentle brown of his eyes. He stared back, and though I could feel happiness from him, he didn’t smile. Just looked at me. 

“You’ve got the whole galaxy in your eyes.” He said. I don’t think he realized he was talking out loud, but I was too concentrated on him. 

Suddenly, the surrealism faded away, and my heart pounding in my chest made me get close to flinching away, but I resisted and managed to turn my surprise into nothing but a gasp. Dan seemed to realize how long we’d just been staring at each other as well, his face heating up. 

We pulled away from each other, but continued staring. 

“Um…” I started, trying to find something to say. “Did you know that everyone’s iris has a pattern as unique as their fingerprints?”  _ ‘Shit.’ _ He smiled anyways. 

“That explains a lot.” I felt my face heat up again, making me irritated that I couldn’t help but blush in this situation. “I should get heading back to my apartment, people’ll wonder where I went. Thanks for spending some time with me.” 

“Yeah. Thank you, too.” I managed to get out after swallowing the lump in my throat. 

“Also, you should stop by my apartment again sometime. I’d be glad to hang out again.” He started walking away. Part of me begged to follow, but I was frozen in place. 

“Yeah.” I stuttered out again, feeling like an idiot. 

And then he was gone. 

 

When I finally moved from that spot on the sidewalk, I made my way back to my apartment. I felt a flurry of emotions that I couldn’t explain. My heart was light as a feather, but for some reason, anger and sadness pulled at me. I fell onto my bed in the dark room, groaning into my pillow. 

Maybe I was angry because I let him walk away. Or maybe just I was just pissy about letting myself fall for him. I hadn’t fallen for him, though, had I?

If I hadn’t, I would’ve been able to get him out of my head. 

At least anger and sadness were able to fade away, leaving me with just a smile on my face as I fell asleep.

 

* * *

 

 

I closed the door to the apartment, immediately looking at Barry, who was just standing there and smiling. 

“So how’d it go?” He asked innocently.

“What do you mean, ‘How did it go?’” I asked in retaliation, confused. “You locked me out of the apartment just saying something weird about a shooting star or whatever. What was it?” 

“Catch a falling star.” He answered simply.

“What does  _ that _ mean?” I asked, remembering what happened. 

 

She was walking away from the door. She seemed odd, but she was definitely pretty and seemed like a cool person. Whatever, though. I didn’t want to go chasing after her while she was leaving. I started shutting the door when Barry burst out. 

“What are you doing?”

“Uh, closing the door.” Barry grabbed the door handle and flung it open shoving me out of the apartment and shutting it fast, clicking with a lock. “Oh, you dick!”

“Catch the falling star!” He said at the same time as me. I just stared at the door for a minute, then turned to look at the girl that was walking away. I thought for a minute. 

“Wait!”

 

“It’s a phrase. ‘Catch a falling star’.” He said again. I just sighed. 

“Fine, if you’re going to be all mysterious about it, I’m going to bed.” I wasn’t tired at all, though. I just wanted to think. I walked into my bedroom, laying down on the bed and just thinking.  _ ‘What  _ does  _ that mean?’ _ I wondered eventually. I took out my phone, looking it up and eventually finding that someone on Yahoo Answers asked the same thing. 

“...So to "catch the falling star" means one must seize an opportunity as soon as it arises and not wait any longer because it will be too late.” The answer said. I thought, turning off the phone and thinking again. 

I couldn’t find the answer, but whatever Barry meant by that, he did something right.


End file.
